How long does a full-fibre install take?

A straightforward visit can be a couple of hours. Blocked ducts, internal drilling and communal frames take longer or need a second visit.

Will they drill the wall?

Often yes, for a new drop. Agree the route. If you rent, check the tenancy before anyone drills the front of the building.

Can I move the appointment?

Yes, with notice. Moving it at the last minute can look like a missed appointment — sometimes for you, sometimes for them.

Do I need to keep the old router?

Until the new line is proven. Then return what the losing provider asked for, on time, or pay for it.

Can they refuse a location I want?

Yes, if the drop, the bend radius or the power socket makes it a bad job. Negotiate. Do not surprise them at minute 80 with a marble fireplace.

Do I need to empty the loft?

Only if that is the agreed route. Ask the day before. Lofts, crawl spaces and meter cupboards are how first visits fail.

Switching

Engineer day

Somebody is coming to your house with a van. The job is smaller than a kitchen fit-out and larger than a parcel. Preparation is mostly being in.

13 min read · Switching

OneTouchSwitch editorialIssue 01 · Autumn 2026 · Double13 min read639 wordsReviewed 10 September 2026

Install day is the part of a switch that still happens in the physical world: a van, a ladder, a conversation about whether the fibre may come through the cupboard under the stairs. Everything else in One Touch Switch is messages. This bit is plaster dust.

Being ready is not a personality

What they are actually fitting

On Openreach FTTP the usual end is an optical network terminal — a small white box — and a router that talks to it. On an alt-net the box looks different and the brand on the van is different. The physics is the same idea: light to the premises, electronics on the wall, Wi-Fi as a separate argument you should not dump on the engineer at minute 90.

Ask where the box will live. Do not ask the engineer to redesign the British broadband industry before lunch.

Why the first visit fails

Not always a conspiracy

Cause	Whose job
Nobody in, nobody with a key	Yours
Blocked duct, no blown fibre	The network’s — another visit
Communal frame needs a different ticket	Building + network
You needed a different drop than the survey guessed	Both of you, with a new date

A failed visit is not automatically compensation, and it is not automatically your fault. Ask what the next job is called, and whether you need to do anything before it. “They’ll be in touch” is not a date.

Do not make it a Wi-Fi appointment

The engineer is there to land light in a box. Mesh, channel width and the upstairs dead zone are a Saturday you can have later. If you try to redesign radio while they are drilling the architrave, both jobs go badly. Get the ONT on the wall. Test the line wired. Then argue with the house.

Questions searchers actually ask

Sources

Openreach customer install notes
Alt-net typical FTTP install practice

Figures move. Prices, coverage and eligibility must be confirmed with the provider. OneTouchSwitch is not Ofcom, TOTSCo or a broadband network. Last fact-checked 10 September 2026.

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